The Chinese Coast Guard clashed with a vessel carrying a group of Japanese politicians on an inspection mission in East China Sea, Reuters reported, citing BTA, citing the Chinese embassy in Tokyo and reports in Japanese media.
The mission, in which former Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada also participated, was organized by the city authorities of Ishigaki in Okinawa Prefecture, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported.
The information was also confirmed in a statement by the Chinese diplomatic mission in Japan. The text said Chinese coast guard vessels had taken enforcement action, without specifying what. In addition, the embassy wrote that it has filed a formal complaint regarding a "violation and provocation" on the Japanese side near the small uninhabited islands that Beijing calls Diaoyu and Tokyo calls Senkaku.
The two countries have repeatedly clashed over the Japanese-administered islands. Tensions are also increasing between the Chinese and Philippine navies in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, Reuters notes.
According to NHK television, the group of Japanese politicians today monitored the area around the islands for three hours as a Japanese coast guard vessel tried to fend off the Chinese coast guard.
"The government and the public are aware of the dire security situation," said Inada, who is currently a senior representative of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. "The Senaku Islands are our sovereign territory and we must have access to the coast to conduct inspections," he added.
This is the first such inspection in the area involving a member of the Japanese parliament since 2013, notes NHK.
The Chinese embassy said it strongly urged Japan to comply with the "consensus reached between the two countries" and to stop with his political provocations. The diplomatic mission urged Japan to "return to the right path of managing contradictions and differences through dialogue and consultation to avoid further escalation of the situation.